The Guardian
by DianaM -again
Summary: This one gets a little weird. It's a oldie from YEARS back. I thought I'd lost it when my old computer fried and JWA went down. Thanks to AnnieO741 for sending it to me so I could re-edit and re-post it!
1. Chapter 1

THE GUARDIAN  
BY: DIANA M.

Chapter One

The night was warm, but not unbearably so. As Scarlett walked by the parade grounds, the sweet smell of warm fresh watered grass reminded her of her childhood in Atlanta. Of warm summer nights spend in the backyard after supper, eating cool watermelon and catching fireflies with her brothers. They'd keep them in jars on their dressers, night-lights to send them safely asleep. "Fairy-lanterns" her mother had called them. Scarlett had few memories of her mother, but the comforting bedtime stories were strong in her mind.

_"When you have a fairy-lantern by your bed, the little people and their helpful forest spirits will know where you are, and watch after you," Scarlett's mother always gave her warm, sweet milk before bed, "Nothing can ever harm young bairns with the spirits nearby. If you listen very carefully, you can hear them singing you to sleep."_

_Little Scarlett would sip her milk and snuggle under the light summer covers. She stared at her lantern and concentrated. If she listened hard enough, past the snoring of her brothers in the next room, she could hear the faint lilting of the pipes, and sometimes, if she was really quiet, a low, woeful siren would waver up out of the darkness, silencing the pipers in a final mysterious note_

Scarlett shook her head, bringing herself back to the present. This was a parade ground in a base filled with trained killing machines, not suburban Atlanta. Her mother had died long ago from a terrible cancer in her breasts; a lingering death. Scarlett never drank warm milk anymore. The little people and their spirits were childhood fantasy. Cobra was the reality now.

_Face it, girl,_ she thought to herself, _you gotta take care of yourself. No fairies or phouka's got your back._

She continued on her way. It was past midnight, and she was tired. Her only long watch for two weeks was out of the way at last. Tenure had its privileges. Sacrlett felt sorry for the newer Joes recruited by Hawk. They hadn't the benefit of years to prove their ability. Duke felt they needed extra base duties to test their merit. Hawk had thoroughly agreed.

"I agree with you Duke," Hawks gravely voice had sounded almost fatherly, "you know and can trust your own people. Extra duties for some seem a bit unfair, though."

Scarlett remembered Duke flashing his "movie star smile", a weapon he usually reserved for the press, "Sir, I define 'fair' as what is necessary for the individual, not forcing everyone to do the exact same thing. I know my Joes. These people are new. Give me some time to feel them out."

"Very well, soldier. Far be it from me to allow the pride of rank to ignore the voice of experience. You know your people. Draw up the rosters and post them in the mess."

A sudden sound stopped Scarlett in her tracks. She spun around just in time to see a large shaggy shadow disappear into the trees behind the baseball backstop.

"Timber!" her heart was pounding, "geez, give me some warning!"

Normally Timber would come and sniff her in greeting, but the wolf had faded into the night. Probably on the trail of a midnight snack. Scarlett wished luck to whatever fuzzy creature was on the menu tonight.

She crossed the playing fields and headed for the women's quarters. It had taken her years to convince her brothers that the base wasn't one big apartment complex, with women and men living side-by-side, acting out some porn flick that even Pee-Wee Herman might find offensive. It just wasn't true. The army was a suspicious, old-fashioned grandmother of an outfit. Women were assigned quarters far away from the men, with a group of MP's acting like a living contraceptive device.

Not that it stopped anything.

In a base filled with undercover infiltration specialists, any security system was about as effective as, well, as a screen door on a submarine, to quote a phrase. If the women wanted them in, they got in.

Flint and Lady Jaye had often found ways to sneak in a little evening entertainment. Of, course, Jaye had some self-respect, and kept their dalliances discreet. Cover Girl just satisfied any of her needs off base when she was on leave, or on base when no one was looking. Naturally, the girls often got together and swapped stories of late night interludes and romantic embraces. Usually over daringly large bowls of ice cream and hot fudge.

Scarlett sighed as she opened her door and turned on the lights, wishing she had more to contribute to the late night gossip-fests. Yellow and blue leotard aside, she just didn't get out much. Still, she had that one perfect date that had yet to be beaten. Scarlett poured herself a glass of juice, and relaxed on the couch, remembering how it started.

_"I just hope we can find a parking place!" Duke banked the Skystriker and angled towards downtown._

_Scarlett reached over the seat and tapped his shoulder, "You can't be serious! Fly into base and we'll drive out."_

_"As if they'll let me once they set eyes on me," he already had the jet on course for base. He sounded grim, "as soon as I set foot on that tarmac, they'll handcuff me to my desk and make me do paperwork"_

_"Duke, you have so much leave saved up, its a crime. If you just drive off, no one's going to stop you. The paper work can wait. Why are you so scared of taking time off?"_

_"I was frightened by time off when I was a kid," Duke quipped._

_She let the silence hang and linger._

_"Hey, they can't all be winners," he grumbled._

Scarlett was shocked out of her reverie by a knock at the door. Without waiting for a reply, Lady Jaye burst in.

"Scarlett, you've got to see this!"

"Can it wait till morning?" Scarlett groaned, "I just got in, and a girl needs her beauty sleep."

"Don't get too pretty," Lady Jaye grabbed Scarlett and pulled her out the door, "Besides, you won't see this in the morning, its kind of a night thing."

"I told you, I'm not spying on Cover Girl with any of those..." Scarlett stopped short when they reached the playing fields.

There were several Joes out on the grass, mumbling delightedly to each other. The moon was out and the sky was bright. Everywhere flickered the little lights of fireflies.

"Isn't it crazy?" grinned Lady Jaye, "I've never heard of lightning bugs in this part of the country, at this time of year. Never."

Flint sauntered over, his hands cupped together. "Why do stars, in the sky above..." He opened his hands and released fireflies all over Lady Jaye.

"My Romeo," Lady Jaye rolled her eyes.

Scarlett walked over to Spirit, who was staring at the natural lightshow a mixture of awe and concern.

"So, Spirit, what does Mother Nature say we're in for? Famine? Drought? Locusts?" She grinned up at him. He had unbraided his hair for bed and it hung loose down his back.

"It is an omen, of what I am unsure," he glanced at the full moon, "With the moon gibbous as it is now, I would predict a revelation."

"You mean the fireflies really mean something?"

"Scarlett, fireflies do not survive in this area's climate. No one has ever seen them swarm in this part of the United States. Also, if you look around, you will notice that they are not flying beyond the playing fields."

Scarlett saw that he was right. The fireflies stayed directly over the football and baseball fields, as if trapped by invisible walls. "What do you mean, "revelation"?"

"Fireflies are like tiny soldiers. My people know of them as messengers from the moon spirit, sent to us as a gift from her. They bring her light to the earth to help us see the way, or the truth." He trapped one gently in his hand, and pondered their luminescence.

"My mother used to say the fireflies were from the little people," Scarlett blushed at how silly she sounded, "She would leave jars by our beds at night to guard us to sleep."

"Your mother was a wise woman. Throughout time, man has felt safer in the light, and the helpful spirits of Mother Nature have seen to it that we have security. Plus, that's just really cool for a little kid."

"Security? What was she protecting us from?"

"Things perhaps you couldn't see or understand," Spirit leveled an interested gaze on her, evaluating something he had missed before. "Perhaps these fireflies were sent here to help you see what your mother knew and you did not."

"Understand? See? As in?"

"Shakespeare once said. There are more things on this earth, than in-"

"I know, in my philosophy. This is too weird, I'm going to bed. Good night." Spirit nodded, and Scarlett headed back to her quarters, leaving the other Joes to revel in the dancing lights.

_Bug butts_, she thought, _Nothing but phosphorescent bug butts. I'm too old for these fairy tales._

Scarlett unlocked her door and pushed it open. She didn't bother turning off the light as she headed for bed, leaving a trail of discarded clothes in her wake. She unlatched the window and pushed it open to let the smoky autumn air in. Scarlett flopped on the bed, climbed under the covers, rolled over, and screamed.

There on her bedside table was a jar of fireflies, and a glass of steaming milk.


	2. Chapter 2

THE GUARDIAN  
BY: DIANA M.

Chapter Two

Scarlett walked into the commissary the next morning. She had thought that the disturbing discovery of the night before would keep her from sleep. She had thrown the milk out the window, wary of what dangers its steamy whiteness might have hidden; there were a lot of sick people out there. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to get rid of the fireflies. She left them to light the jar by on her nightstand. It had been the best night's sleep she had in quite some time.

Breakfast was an unappetizing affair of scrambled eggs and cheese congealed on toast. By some miracle of science, it had almost completely ice cold by the time she found a seat. Scarlett decided to ignore her plate and concentrate on the juice instead. Lunch would surely be a sandwich buffet of some kind, and waiting for a broad choice of awful food was better than subjecting herself to a single nauseating dish.

She had finished one glass of orange juice, and was considering getting in line for another when Snake Eyes and Stalker sat down across the table.

"Morning, Scarlett," Stalker smiled. Snake Eyes nodded hello, and Timber shuffled his way under the tabletop and licked Scarlett's hand.

Scarlett laughed. "You should keep an eye on that wolf of yours, Snakes. He almost made me jump out of my skin on last night. God only knows what he's done to the rabbit population around here."

Stalker and Snake Eyes looked at each other, then back at her. "Last night?" Stalker looked confused, "are you sure it was last night?"

"You bet I am. It was after midnight, and this little red riding hood almost lost her basket of goodies."

Snake Eyes shook his head in wonder. Stalker put down his fork and stared at Scarlett seriously, "But that's impossible. Snake Eyes and I went off base yesterday. We didn't get back 'till a few minutes ago. Timber was with us the whole time."

Scarlett decided another juice wasn't very important after all.

0000000

There's a very simple explanation for all of this, Scarlett told herself, these things just don't appear out of thin air. Fireflies where they're not supposed to be, warm milk appearing in a completely locked room, strange wolves scaring me late at night. There's some very logical explanation that I am completely-

Her thoughts were stopped short when she ran smack into Duke. The stack of papers he carried flew everywhere.

"Oh God, I am so sorry!" Scarlett stooped to pick up a handful.

"No problem...uhhh...Fancy running into you here!" Duke grinned nervously. "Its nothing that important. These are all outdated codes, anyhow." He shuffled the papers into a messy pile. "What's breakfast like?"

"Better bring your gun, I think it might be alive still." She had to crane her neck to look up into his crystalline blue eyes. As always, a thrill ran down her spine. Being with Duke always made her feel safe and in jeopardy at the same time. The big man could be gentle, but she knew he was dangerous.

"Wow, really? That means its at least animal matter of some sort," Duke glanced at his watch, "I'd better get moving, though. Join me for lunch today?"

"Sure, I'll see you there around one," Scarlett caught herself nervously running her fingers through her hair.

"One's good. I'll see you later," Duke smiled and strode down the hall, self-confidence oozing out with every step.

Scarlett reabsorbed herself in thoughts of last night.

_If that wolf wasn't Timber, then where did it come from, and why did it come so close?_ Scarlett had always thought of wolves as shy, timid creatures. _It must have set off some sort of perimeter alarm...It can't have got in without notice. I certainly didn't see anything on my watch, though. Odd. Maybe there's a breach in security somewhere. _

Scarlett decided to ask Dial-Tone about it. He had taken the watch after hers. If the wolf hadn't set anything off entering, it might have tripped an alarm leaving. Or if not an alarm, maybe a security camera caught it in action.

She found him, after an hour of searching, in the weight room. She should have known. Dial -Tone was constantly searching for ways to improve himself. Exercise, creatine; Roadblock had taken him out last weekend to redesign his wardrobe.

"A man just can't dress himself that way and be mentally stable," The large bald man had confided in her, "I couldn't just LEAVE him like that!"

Dial-Tone was pumping iron and watching a Tony Robbins tape on the TV. His shirt was soaked with sweat. Scarlett often wondered whether he would ever be comfortable with himself.

"Dial-Tone?" He spun around on the bench. The room was otherwise empty, and he hadn't heard her come in over Robbins' blaring inspiration. "Dial-Tone, did you see anything strange on your watch last night?"

"Not really. It was a mostly boring night. I think I fell asleep twice," he put the dumbbell down and wiped his face with a ratty towel.

"What do you mean 'mostly boring'? You mean there _was _something?" Scarlett picked up the remote and paused the videotape for his full attention.

"Well, nothing, really. There was that weird thing with the fireflies. Naturally that happens when I'm on watch. I always seem to miss these things." Dial-Tone squirted a mouthful of water from the bottle next to the bench. He added weight to the barbell and lay back to do a few presses.

"Anything else?"

"No, not really. Unless you count...nah, its not important..." Sweat began to pour off his brow. He must have been training for some time. Scarlett could smell the must of heavy perspiration now that she was closer to him.

"Dial-Tone, anything might be important."

"Well, I was watching you walk home on the cameras," He blushed and avoided her gaze, "Just to make sure you got there ok, it being so late and all..."

"Thanks for your concern," Scarlett tried to ignore the feeling of being trespassed upon.

"The funny thing was, at the edge of the cameras, I could see... Well, barely see…well, it was REALLY strange," he put the barbell back on the rack and sat up to face her, "Timber followed you the whole way. I mean the WHOLE way. And he didn't let you see him, either. He was always where I could just barely make him out." Dial- Tone took another sip of water. "Once you caught him, because I saw you turn to face him. He ran off, but by the time you got within sight of the next camera, he was there again, just off to the edge of its field. I swear, he followed you straight to your door. But I guess it was OK, because he slipped in after you, and that was that."

Scarlett felt very cold.

"The brightness on those damn cameras needs fixing, though."

"Hmm?"

"He looked so totally white, it was unbelievable."


	3. Chapter 3

THE GUARDIAN  
BY: DIANA M.

Chapter Three

Scarlett had locked herself away in her duties to wait her lunchtime meeting with Duke. She couldn't let her mind wander back to last night without feeling sick. _Besides_, she told herself, _training manuals require complete concentration_.

She had been working for almost a year on a manual of stealth infiltration techniques, _The Way In_. It was nearly finished, and she was very proud of herself for dedicating so much time to it. All that was left was to edit it a few times over, and send it off to the Department of Military Publishing to be printed and applied in the specialist academies across the country. Scarlett owed a lot to her academy, and felt she was repaying the time and effort her own training had entailed.

She knew Duke had already reserved a few copies in advance. He had always complained of the need for a good stealth manual. Although she could never see him as the covert type, sneakiness ranked high on Duke's important-things-to-master-as-a -Joe list. Perhaps that was what had inspired Scarlett to take on so daunting a task; manual writing was usually left to soldiers of higher rank.

Scarlett finished chapter 3 and glanced up at the clock to see that she was already late for her lunch date. She jumped from her seat and was out the door before the manuscript's cover had shut itself. In truth, the wolf matter frightened her more than she would admit to herself. She had to talk to Duke.

_He'll freak out,_ she thought with a smile, _That man worries if I don't tie my shoes properly._ The idea of Duke's fanatic over-protection was comforting to Scarlett, rather than smothering. He'd pulled her out of quite a few scrapes in the past. She could expect that base security would become very tight for the next few days. _He won't stop till that wolf's head is on his wall._

The commissary was crowded. It was well past 1:30, and most of the Joes who were able had packed themselves into the small dining area. Scarlett caught a glimpse of Roadblock in the kitchen, and understood. Dining a-la Roadblock were always a break from the typical hum-drum lunches usually provided. It was a shame that he only cooked once a month, but the recent doubling of the Joe roster proved too much for even him. Gourmet fare had once again become a myth.

Duke grabbed her before she could get in line. "I had Roadblock save you a some of the good stuff. It went pretty fast."

"Duke, after breakfast, anything that Roadblock makes will be 'good stuff'," he had already pulled her over to the table he'd saved by the window. Roadblock came to their table balancing trays on his arms. Roadblock was a large man; there was a substantial amount of food. Scarlett thought she couldn't possibly finish the entire meal.

"Presenting...carne asada fajitas con chile reillenos de Señor Roadblock!" Scarlett's stomach changed its mind when a fragrant plume reached her nostrils. "This recipe might have helped us win the Alamo; no true blood from south of the border could resist." He loomed over them to get the reaction from their first bite.

"Mmmmm," Scarlett filled her mouth with a forkful of the savory, salty meat, ignoring the tortillas and sour cream, "absolutely breathtaking!"

Duke inhaled deeply. "Smells tasty, all right," he loaded up a tortilla with the works and took a large bite, "Delicious!" Juice dribbled down the corner of his mouth to his chin, like a thin trickle of blood. "Juicy, just like I like it."

Roadblock beamed at them and went back to the kitchen.

"Duke, how do you get Roadblock to do you such culinary favors?"

"Hmmmm?" He was already polishing off his first fajita.

"No one else in this mess has a spread quite like ours," She glanced around the room, "and you're the only one he ever gives table service to. Why are you so special?"

"I seem like a pretty important guy, huh?" Duke wiped the juices away with a napkin and grinned. "It goes back to when I was Drill at a Special Forces school down south. Roadblock was one of my last graduates, along with Flint."

"That requires he serve you hand and foot now?" Scarlett was puzzled. She couldn't remember ever longing to make her own drill sergeants' lives any easier.

"Man, I was a mean son of a bitch back then! I remember their first day. I came out and put the fear of God into them. 'You sniveling little ass-wipes are on my time now!' They almost peed in their pants!" Duke demonstrated a malicious snarl. "There's nothing like a healthy dose of intimidation to put trainees in line," He loaded up another tortilla, and hefted it mouth wards. It was interesting to watch Duke eat. His big hands somehow managed food in an elegant, almost reverent manner, and he always smelled each and every bite before it was consumed.

"I still don't see how that would inspire Roadblock to worship you with gourmet cooking." Scarlett made a dainty package of meat, sour cream and tortilla and took a bite. Duke watched, amused.

"How do you ever get filled up on such small portions, Red? I could never survive, eating the way you do."

"I'm surprised there's any beef cows left around here, the way YOU eat. Tell me Duke, how does squashing a man's ego make him want to do you favors?"

"Those guys all came into special forces training thinking they were the downy hair on God's butt. They took 'special' seriously. Thought no one could touch 'em.. How the Hell can you teach someone like that? They won't listen. They'd gotten set into bad habits, most of them. I had to break them down and build them properly," Duke dumped the last of his meat and cream on a final gargantuan fajita. "So I MADE them rely on me. Wouldn't let them pee without my permission. When they screwed up, I made their lives worse than damnation itself," He gulped down a massive chunk of beef. "A lot of them dropped out. Those that made it were the best. They were lean, and could tough out anything," Duke finished his last bite, and eyed Scarlett's leftovers hungrily. She pushed her plate over to him without a word.

Duke joyfully started in on the remains of her lunch and went on. "I keep tabs on my trainees. Of those that remained in the military, 98% have made it through the past several wars, insurrections, or police actions. Somalia, Panama, Colombia. You name it, they've made it through. Flint and Roadblock are two of the toughest Joes on base."

Besides you, thought Scarlett.

"Survival is a nice talent to have. I guess they're grateful," Duke soaked the last of the juices up with a shred of tortilla, "A little pudding would finish this off well. Want some?"

"God no, I'm stuffed"

"Hang on, I'll be back," He made his way through the maze of tables to the dessert bar.

He came back with a soup bowl full of chocolate pudding.

"Why aren't you a 'mean son of a bitch' to us, Duke?" She dipped her fork in his dessert.

"I thought you didn't want any!" Duke moved the bowl to where she could get at it more easily, "Well, that's simple. You guys already know what you're doing. I'm not supposed to train you, I'm here to help you beat up the bad guys. No one would trust their lives to a complete dickhead. Still, I don't let you walk all over me. Well," He winked at her. "Maybe just you."

"Well, since you're such a pussycat, Top, maybe you can help me out."

Duke raised an eyebrow curiously. "What's up?"

00000

She told him about the Fireflies, and how it seemed her past was leaking all over the present. About the warm milk appearing next to the jar mysteriously, in a completely secure apartment. About the wolf who wasn't Timber. Finally, she told him about her talk with Dial-Tone, and about him seeing the wolf slip in to her apartment after her.

"He watched you walk home on the security cameras? I need to have a talk with that boy." Duke looked irritated.

"Duke, that isn't the point! A large strange wolf was following me home! He snuck into my apartment. I never knew he was there!"

"And he made you warm milk, too. I wish I knew a wolf like that."

"Duke, I'm serious. This is creepy! That wolf could be rabid!"

Duke looked offended. "Rabid? I doubt it. If it were rabid, I don't think you'd be here right now."

"Doesn't a rogue wolf and impossible fireflies worry just a bit?" Scarlett had never expected a response like this. "Spirit says they were an omen!"

"An omen of nighttime treats? I wouldn't call them 'impossible'. Weird things happen all the time. Like those stories about it raining frogs. Who says it's a brute? I happen to think of a white wolf as a very elegant creature." Duke leaned back in his chair and folded his arms on his chest.

"How'd you know it was white?" Scarlett felt fluttery in the chest.

"Huh?"

"I never said it was a white wolf, Duke, how did you know?"


	4. Chapter 4

THE GUARDIAN  
BY: DIANA M.

Chapter Four

Duke eyed Scarlett appraisingly, "Red, I have to honestly say, I can't think of any answer I could give you that you'd believe."

"Try me."

She met his stare; their eyes locked. She could sense Duke looking deeply into her. Searching, for what she wasn't sure. He seemed concerned, as if on shaky ground. He put his hands on hers, and moved closer. His gaze drew her in, and she felt herself falling. The outside distraction of the busy commissary faded away. His eyes seemed to glow electric blue. She could feel the electricity flowing to her through his hands and into her. The hair on her arms stood up with the crackling tingle that coursed through her. Her toes and fingertips buzzed with a pleasing pins and needles feeling. Scarlett thought she could smell pine trees and musk; spicy and warm, yet new and refreshing. Faintly, almost beyond the boundaries of perception, she could hear the forest. Duke smiled. Whatever he had been searching for, he had found deep within her, and perhaps himself. Scarlett felt amazingly content. The world could have ended for her then; she wouldn't care. Never had she been as complete as she was at that moment.

The alert screamed like a banshee on speed, bringing them back to the outside world.

Duke pulled his hands back and jumped up; their connection was broken. Scarlett sat dazed. She had wanted the electricity to course through her endlessly. Now she felt oddly removed, disconnected.

Hawk's voice grumbled through the intercom, "All active Joes report to the briefing room immediately! Duke, Flint, Beach-Head, begin collaborating your team rosters."

Scarlett came to and saw Flint standing next to Duke, "Saved by the bell, hey pal?" He slapped Duke on the shoulder and chuckled, "we'd better move, if its what we were expecting."

Scarlett made an attempt to clean up some of the lunch dishes. Duke grabbed her arm gently, "No time for that, Scarlett. Flint's right. This could be a big one, and I have you on my team. If it's going to get nasty, I need you prepared"

His hand slipped away, and he nodded to Flint. Together they walked towards tactical planning. Scarlett joined the Joes flooding out the other side of the commissary, towards the briefing room. She met up with Cover Girl halfway there.

"Well, THAT was interesting!" Cover Girl grinned her Maybelline smile. How often the men on the base had fantasized of jealous fighting between the two. It couldn't have been farther from the truth. As the two original women on the team, Scarlett and Cover Girl had a closer relationship than most. Lady Jaye had become the third point to their triangle when she was recruited. Together, the three of them had forged a strong and unbreakable friendship, one that had weathered many trials.

They walked quickly; the briefing room was on the other side of the base, far away from the living quarters. "What do you mean?" Scarlett realized that she had brought her drink with her. She guzzled the last of it, and set the glass down on a trashcan by the pool. She made a mental note to remember it when they returned.

"You, Duke, gazing longingly into each other's eyes," Cover Girl batted her eyelids and sighed dramatically, "Ah sweah, ah could heah the blue birds a - twittahing!" She snorted and rolled her eyes, "it's about God-Damned time! Turtles in January move faster than you two."

"No one can move at your speed," Lady Jaye had caught up with them. They were almost there. They had reached the brig, and only had three buildings to go. "Talk about the speed of light! So Scarlett, what's the next step?"

"I don't think it was anything like you two imagine." Scarlett said thoughtfully.

"I don't know," Cover Girl grinned, "I can imagine a lot."

"He was...He was trying to tell me something, or get me to tell HIM something," Scarlett frowned to herself, "Pretty weird things have been happening." She couldn't forget the way his eyes glowed. They haunted her, reminding her of the way Timber and Junkyard's eyes reflected in the night. Something tickled at the back of her mind.

"So tell him 'yes' and _get it on_," Cover Girl opened the door to the briefing hall and held it for the others.

Lady Jaye chuckled, "Just because he ignored you the first time he met you..."

"Oh God, that was embarrassing. Scarlett, remember? I came in wearing that tiny BDU t-shirt, and he wouldn't look twice. I tried so hard. I was AWFUL back then!" Cover Girl blushed at the memory. "The next day I ran into him in the laundry, and he told me to use a colder cycle! He didn't want me at all."

"That's because he saw Scarlett here first."

"Oh you bet. I had NO chance. Then again, I sort of came to realize that he's WAY too intense." They picked three seats near the front, "He wants everything _just so_. I don't think I could handle that. I like a man I can control mercilessly. It's too bad he's so damn good looking."

Shipwreck sat down next to her, "Can't stop talking about me, can ya, Doll?" He stretched and dropped his arm around Cover Girl's shoulders, "You'd better, my ears are burnin' up!"

"Shipwreck, the only way I'd ever burn your ears would be to set them on fire!" She shrugged off his arm. "Go find some mermaid to drag you under the sea!"

Shipwreck's face turned a beep shade of red. He stood up and stormed off to the back of the room. Polly screeched loudly. "Frogs in Winter!"

Cover Girl looked amazed, "Wow. _That_ worked better than I expected. What's up with him? "

The lights dimmed and Stalker and Snake Eyes stepped up on stage.

"I'll fill you in later," Lady Jaye whispered.

The briefing was about to begin.

oooooooooo

Scarlett had trouble focusing on Stalker. Her mind kept wandering back to the way Duke had searched her. Her spine was still tingling. It was almost as if he had sent little probing tendrils of himself into her through her eyes and fingers. Why had no one else noticed the supernatural way his eyes had shone? They certainly had been watched, if Flint and Cover Girl's comments were anything to judge by.

She snapped to when Stalker flipped on a slide of Stonehenge.

"Bring me up to speed, Jaye," Scarlett leaned over and whispered in her Lady Jaye's ear. Lady Jaye looked surprised; Scarlett was usually ahead of most others.

"Stalker and Snake Eyes have been following British Surveillance reports for the past week. Cobra's been really interested in the old ruins lately. Yesterday they took a supersonic over and saw for themselves. They scouted three possible Cobra hideouts in the area," Lady Jaye hissed under her breath. "Maybe they'll get naked and dance around the Samhein fires."

"That is exactly what we think is going on," Duke, Flint, Hawk and Beach-Head had Joined Stalker and Snake-Eyes on stage. Somehow, Duke's keen ears had picked up on Scarlett and Lady Jaye's conversation. "Well, hopefully not _naked_…"

"Take it off, Baroness!" Cross Country hollered from the back of the room. Several Joes cheered lustily.

"Take a cold shower, boys," Duke grinned as Hawk dropped his head in his hands. He picked up a pointer and lightly tapped the screen. "Stonehenge. One of many odd stone circles that dot the British Isles and parts of Europe. Scientists and Historians have been arguing for decades what they could have possibly been used for. Many agree they were some sort of Druidic or Celtic marker. Of what has been anybody's guess. Stonehenge itself is thought to be a calendar, marking times of the four most important Celtic feast days, Beltaine, Samhein, Oimelc, and Lughnasadah. Tonight is Samhein eve, people. All Hallow's Eve," Duke swept his gaze over the troops assembled in the hall, "It is the equivalent of the Druidic new year, and the Druids party hearty. According to legend, tonight the spirits will open the gates to the other world, and let people in, or out."

Scarlett couldn't believe she'd forgotten Halloween.

"Do we get to dress up?" Nervous laughter filled the hall. Shipwreck could always ease an odd situation with a well-timed comment.

"Just make sure you dress up as someone who can kick ass," Stalker stepped forward, "Snakes and I found out a few things on our sneaky-trip last night. Cobra has hired one freaky dude to help them at midnight."

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Hawk silenced the last straggling titters of laughter, "We believe that Cobra has classified Stonehenge as one of these gates. Flint and Dial Tone can testify that they've already attempted to capture something from this 'other side'. Tonight they'll try again. This time, they've hired a mage." Murmurs of disbelief washed through the briefing room in gentle waves. A picture of a slick looking man replaced Stonehenge on the screen. Duke slapped it with his pointer.

"This man is, believe it or not, one Charlie Copperpot of Llelwyn, Wales," Duke looked at the picture with utter disgust and contempt, "He has a police record of ritualistic animal torture, strange night disturbances, real spooky shit. He calls himself a mage. Claims to have supernatural powers. Cobra has hired him to work his voodoo tonight at Stonehenge. He's their 'insurance policy', so to speak. He'll be pretty much out in the open. Expect to see a lot of circles and pentagrams. Rub them out. Mess with him. Stop him from whatever he's doing. These gates are said to have a lot of power, and stinkin' damn mages love to suck 'em dry."

Hawk cleared his throat. Duke blinked, then corrected himself, "So the historical, um, mythological report, ah...well, that's what they say." Her regained his composure. "We're headed into some gaping unknowns, gang. Keep your wits about you. Don't turn your back on the rocks. Flint's got the particulars."

Flint grinned. "All right, boys and girls. Three battalions of regulars, each backed up by two Hiss tanks. Air support is doubtful. Too far away from any possible Cobra airstrips. Maybe a Fang copter or two to make it fun. Look out for Mindbender, Destro, and ol' Fang Face. Serpentor is there, but he'll be safely beyond reach until the gate pops. Last time I was on the Isles, they pulled out that big green monster of Destro's. We took care of him, but I wouldn't want to meet his family, if you get my meaning."

"If this dog and pony show works out, Cobra will be the least of our worries." Duke cracked his knuckles loudly.

"Troops, meet up in your teams and prepare for transport." Hawk turned off the slide projector and flipped on the lights. "Dismissed".

Lady Jaye tuned to Scarlett and smiled, "Here we go!"


	5. Chapter 5

THE GUARDIAN  
BY: DIANA M.

Chapter Five

The Joes broke up into four groups and loaded themselves into the super-sonic cargo carriers that would jet them quickly over the Atlantic. Vehicles were prepared for drop and loaded onto a fifth carrier.

Scarlett and Cover Girl followed Duke and the rest of their team towards the front of their carrier and found their parachutes. Duke picked up his and began inspecting the rigging.

"Triple check your chutes, troops." Duke pulled open the pack and looked closely at the material, "It's not nice to get a nasty surprise several thousand feet up." He repacked his main chute carefully, and started in on the back-up.

Scarlett and followed suit without comment. Cover Girl wrinkled her nose sulkily and eyed her pack with distaste, "C'mon, Duke. The government pays millions of dollars buying us the best equipment possible. We have this nifty speedy carrier jet, I'm pretty sure something as simple as a chute couldn't be too fouled up. Why waste time on this?"

"Saving your own ass is never a waste of time, Cover Girl," Duke sat down and stowed his chute under the webbed bench, "Never forget, Uncle Sam buys from the lowest bidder. Besides, you got better things to do?"

"Here, I'll help. God forbid you should break a nail," Scarlett finished her own inspection and grabbed Cover Girl's chute. She could feel the rumbling of the carrier as it taxied down the runway to take off.

"Thanks Scarlett," Cover girl looked relieved, "I don't mean to be a bitch. Its nerves, I guess." While Scarlett checked all the rigging, Cover Girl pulled out both chutes and checked the material. They sat and packed the chutes as the carrier rolled into final position.

"Sit down, strap in, and shut up," Wild Bill's cheerful voice crackled over the intercom, "We're taking off, and this baby kicks like a mule!"

Scarlett strapped in and gritted her teeth as the carrier sped down the runway. It wasn't a smooth ride. The millions Cover Girl attributed to military spending didn't go towards suspension or seat cushions. The ride smoothed out once the carrier was fully airborne.

"We'll go supersonic in a few minutes kiddies. I'll give you a little travellin' music to hold you over 'till we get to where we're goin'," Wild Bill must have set his boom box near the intercom. The twangy voice of Loretta Lynn drifted into the hold.

"...In a shack in the town of Butcher Hollow..."

Gung Ho was joined by other Joes in a deafening holler of protest that drowned poor Loretta out completely. Recondo took the butt of his rifle and began pounding on the hold ceiling.

"Enough!" The noise stopped. Duke glared angrily at his troops, "Nervous tension is one thing, but I expect to get to the battlefield without a headache."

'Coal Miner's Daughter' continued to drift through the hold. Duke rubbed the back of his neck and looked up towards the cockpit.

"I think I left something of mine up there during our last war games," Duke walked to the ladder that led up to the cockpit and opened the hatch, "I'll go put that on." He smiled as he climbed up.

Scarlett and Cover Girl looked at each other. Scarlett rolled her eyes heavenward and sighed.

"What's with the rolling eyes?" Leatherneck leaned over Doc.

"Obviously you don't know Duke's taste in music," Cover Girl shook her head as she muttered, "I'd almost prefer Loretta."

"I actually kind of like it, myself," Scarlett smiled, "But he always blasts it so loud. It's sort of grown on me, I guess."

"Let me guess, some sort of opera stuff?" Leatherneck mused, "Something by that crazy German guy...Pogner?"

"Wagner," Doc smiled, "Pogner was an elf."

"Yeah, that guy. Him, right? Just like in 'Apocalypse Now', right? Loving the smell of Napalm in the morning and shit." Leatherneck nodded to himself.

"You'll see," Scarlett always enjoyed watching new Joes get used to Duke. She had watched others get used with his eccentricities. This new lot seemed to be taking longer, not developing quite the intimate relationship enjoyed by the older Joes. Perhaps it was because of Hawk's influence. The newer Joes had yet to knit closely with the old.

Scarlett smiled at Duke as he slid down the ladder and secured his seat's safety harness. He waved the Loretta Lynn CD and grinned at her, " Well, Red, it was a bit of a fight, but I got it from him."

"What did you have him put on, Duke?"

"This will definitely get you in the mood for warfare." He fastened her belts for her, "we're about to go super."

"Valkyries, Duke?" Leatherneck shot Duke a thumbs up.

"No thanks, we've got Scarlett and Cover Girl," Duke grinned, " Besides, I'm not ready for Valhalla yet."

"I meant-"

"Prepare to go supersonic" Wild Bill's interrupted. Buckles clicked throughout the hold as the Joes strapped in. Scarlett felt her self once again pushed back into the seat's webbing as the supersonic jets kicked in. At the same time growling guitars screamed over the intercom. Cover Girl plugged her ears with her fingers. Gung Ho and Recondo cheered.

"Metallica?!" Leatherneck's mouth gaped open.

Doc smiled , "An opera man he's not. We're lucky he lost his Motorhead CD."

Scarlett leaned across Doc, "You should hear him play! I never knew he had ever touched a guitar 'till that Cold Slither escapade." She shouted to be heard above the corrosive guitar solo. Gung Ho and Recondo joined in on the next chorus, making up for tone-deafness with overwhelming volume.

The carrier sped with its four mates towards Stonehenge and the battle that awaited.

They quickly arrived at the preplanned jumping place. Scarlett felt slammed forward against her straps as the jet came out of supersonic. Duke was the first to free himself and stand up. He turned to address his troop as the blazing music over the intercom faded to silence.

"O.K. troops, we're jumping a half klick from the battle site. Wouldn't want to be shot out of the air now, would we?" he adjusted his jump goggles. "Remember, we're the point. It's our job to right to the gate and keep it closed, or, if we're in the shit already, take care of whatever comes out. Flint's got our backs with his unit. Hawk and Beach Head will take care of keeping a way out clear. Any questions?"

Iceberg raised his hand, "What exactly are we expectin' to skip on out of this gate to say hello?"

Scarlett could see Duke's eyes begin to burn with that mysterious glow. "Nothing you've seen before. Nothing you'd want to remember seeing. Things that make your worst nightmares look like 'Its a Small World'. Hopefully, they'll come out nice and slow. If you're lucky, they won't be hungry."

Iceberg looked pale. Gung Ho laughed, "We'll bring you a didee, mon amî."

"One last thing," Scarlett was hypnotized again by Duke's eyes, they were smoldering like blue fire. "Leave the mage to me. He's mine, you hear?"

Scarlett watched with mixed feelings as the jump doors slowly swung open. Cold air rushed in, stinging her cheeks as she pulled herself out of her seat and made her way towards Duke. Jumps were always frightening. The thought of throwing herself at the ground several thousand feet below into an unknown quantity of danger was both daunting and exhilarating at the same time. Duke had once told her he considered it some sort of birth process.

"You're thrust out into something new. What's gonna happen?" He had stood behind and whispered into her ear in some long ago predawn exercise, "Damned if I really know. We plan, and hope, but battles have a way of biting you in the ass when you're not looking. You're an helpless baby 'till you hit the ground"

"Babies don't carry automatic machine guns, Duke," She whispered over her shoulder, hoping Colonel Sharp wasn't noticing how close Duke's lips had come to her ear. His breath tickled the tiny hairs inside. He had laughed quietly.

"Not that they wouldn't want to, given the chance," she felt him triple checking her chute from behind. Duke always triple and quadruple checked her gear, no one else's. "One thing's for sure. Once you're out, there's no way in Hell you can get back in. Out you go!" With a final chuckle, he had gently shoved her out the door.

Scarlett smiled to herself at the memory, and made her way into position next to Duke. He had chosen her as his "Buddy" in the first Joe mission. They had covered each other for years. It seemed natural to her now, to follow him into all sorts of dangerous situations, never looking back, never questioning his judgment. She knew it was one of the reasons she was still alive.

"Ready, Red?" He moved over for her to take her place at his side.

They would be the last out the door, watching the troops flood out the door in a cascade of pre-fight apprehension and rage mixed. Sometimes, someone balked. Duke was there to give whatever push was needed. Only a few times had he ever had to get physical. Usually, a few words of encouragement did the trick. If that failed, he would threaten. Finally, he would bully a reluctant Joe into the sky. Scarlett smiled to herself as she thought of the time Duke had been driven to gently apply his foot to Lady Jay's rear and push her out. She couldn't help her fear of heights, but Duke couldn't have a Joe give in to phobias. The next time she hesitated, Duke simply pointed to his boot. Lady Jay had flung herself quickly out the door without a backwards glance.

"GO!" The green light above the door flashed as Joes flung themselves into the great wide-open, two by two. Duke slapped shoulders as they passed. Scarlett felt the tickling in her stomach grow as their turn neared. Then, before she knew it, she and Duke were alone in the doorway. She could still see his eyes glowing with the mysterious blue flame that signified some unfathomable passion. Whether it was for her, or the coming battle, she couldn't tell, and wouldn't dare to guess.

"Let's go, Red, out and down," and they were out the door, speeding towards the earth, and Cobra.


	6. Chapter 6

THE GUARDIAN  
BY: DIANA M.

Chapter Six

Scarlett hit the ground, rolled, and released her chute quickly. It had seemed dark, peering through the jump doors, but now her eyes were drawn to the hillock ahead, where a strange throbbing glow lit up the drifting fog. She heard strange, unworldly music; her nose wrinkled at an odd sulfur-like odor.

Suddenly, crackling machine gun fire and the boom of large ordinance weaponry drowned out the strange music. Scarlett winced.

"Flint's team is going to town!" Duke bellowed to be heard above the gunfire, "Lets go, gang. Move it!"

Scarlett loaded her crossbow and triple-timed it over the hillock. Ahead she saw Stonehenge, normally dark and mysterious. Now, it was ablaze with a greenish light, emanating from the middle of it's tumbled masonry. Flint's team was scattered about the place, tangling with COBRA regulars. She saw one HISS tank, destroyed and smoking; probably taken out by Beach-Head's heavy artillery over the hill.

Scarlett quickly assessed the situation. Most of the COBRA regulars were involved in fending off Flint's team. She could see Major Blood atop the burned out HISS, directing his troops from its relative safety. Getting to the gate would be no major difficulty. Scarlett quickly chose her point of entry and made her move with the rest of Duke's team.

Then they were in the middle of it, and Scarlett lost track of time and space. She took out several troops, shooting one neatly through the eye with a razor-tipped quarrel. She heard a loud crack and turned to see Gung -Ho drop a lifeless blue uniformed regular to the ground; the trooper's head nearly twisted off his shoulders. Gung-Ho grinned evilly and shot her a thumbs up.

"These little ones go real easy. We need a challenge!" Gung-Ho hollered over the din of the battle, "Where are the big guys?"

Duke fought his way through a mess of COBRAs to where they were standing. "If we want to get the main snakes, we gotta get to that gate!" He pointed towards the green glow; Scarlett noticed his arms were bloody to the elbows. Duke raised his red-stained fingers to his lips and blew a piercing whistle, "move it! I want that gate closed! The sooner it is, the happier I'll be," he smiled at Scarlett, "and I know you guys love to make me happy."

Duke's team regrouped, and they began to push through the surrounding melee to the glimmering portal. She saw Duke stumble, and looked down to see several piles of rocks and talismen, piled at the points of a large chalk pentagram. Duke kicked at a few, sending pebbles, bones and feathers flying. He indicated for his team-members to do the same. They passed several such symbols, kicking and scuffing as they went. Scarlett kicked over a pile of quartz crystals to see a bright- feathered rooster's head staring up at her; it was very fresh, and would have looked alive had it been attached to it's body.

Scarlett shivered.

Her mother had always believed in a darker side to life. Scarlett had never quite understood her mother's fear of what others considered old wive's tales. It had seemed odd, for a woman of the 60's to still put out milk for the kitchen gnome. As a girl, Scarlett had told her friends that her mother did it as a sort of family ritual; like putting milk and cookies out for Santa. Now, seeing Stonehenge surrounded in archaic runes, shining in mysterious light, Scarlett did not think her mother strange at all. She wished she had her fairy lantern with her, some shadows always need scaring away.

Scarlett jumped as Cover Girl gently touched her shoulder. She tore her eyes away from the rooster's head and kicked it out of its pile of crystals.

"Looks like our old friends have quite a party going on over there," Cover Girl pointed towards the gate. Scarlett could see a circle of robed figures surrounding a stone archway. Green light spilled out between its plinths, making the dark robes glow as if covered with green ichor. A tall, swaying figure stood directly in front of the gate, his arms raised in supplication. In one hand, he lofted a long black staff.

"Lets get over there before the guests of honor arrive!" As Scarlett neared the gate, she could make out individuals amongst the circle. Cobra Commander and Destro stood nearest the lanky Mage at the gate, their silver battle masks reflecting ominously green. The Baronness was next to Destro, her glasses barely visible beneath her dark hood. Tomax and Xamot flanked the group, both hefting what seemed to be unnecessarily large guns. Four crimson guardsmen finished the tableau, minus the robes, but ominous all the same for their well-trained lack of personality. All seemed totally oblivious to the battle raging around them. Serpentor was nowhere to be seen.

"Lets take 'em out now!" Duke had chosen speed over subtlety. He had always been a man of action, able to evaluate a situation and act on instinct gained from battles past. Scarlett had learned early on to appreciate his speed, it left less time for fear.

Swiftly, they rushed the gate and it's circle of onlookers. Duke went straight for Copperpot, ignoring the tantalizing array of COBRA'S highest. As Scarlett began her rush towards Cobra Commander and Destro, she noticed a strange glint of silver out of the corner of her eye. Duke had unsheathed a wicked looking blade from the scabbard strapped to his leg. She only had time to wonder why she had never seen the blade; she was soon upon her foe, crossbow loaded and ready.

She loosed the quarrel 24 feet away from where Destro was standing. In any fight, she figured he was the best man to take out first. Cobra Commander, although the highest ranking, was often inept on the quick-response plain of the battlefield. Destro had centuries of warfare in his blood. Without him, Scarlett guessed, the COBRA defensive was crippled, unable to strategize on its feet.

Unfortunately, the charge threw off Scarlett's aim, and her bolt missed the center of it's target. It lodged deep within Destro's arm, stopping when it hit his humerus. Destro cried out and grabbed at the shaft. The Crimson Guardsmen had no time to respond; Gung-Ho, Recondo, and Leatherneck lead the rest of Duke's team to mob the COBRA leaders and their entourage. Doc lingered behind in the safety of a fallen plinth's lee, waiting to rush to a fallen comrade's aid.

Scarlett reloaded her crossbow and looked for Duke. She wanted to make sure he had a handle on things before committing herself to another target. She was surprised to see him and Copperpot standing arm's length apart, talking. Duke was crouched and ready for attack, yet he had not made a move to do so. It was unusual for him, to say the least.

Looking over her shoulder and seeing that the others had things well in hand, Scarlett stealthily snuck closer to Duke and the Mage. She crouched behind a towering megalith, just opposite the gate. From her hiding place, she could hear and see everything that went on. To her surprise, both men seemed to know each other.

"-now you will see there is truth to my words," Copperpot glowered darkly, "You ignored the threat of my power time and again. Foolish pups!" his welsh accent was musical, lilting. Scarlett had to concentrate to make him out above the din.

"Mage, your mind has been warped by the demons with which you foolishly toy," Duke raised the silver blade menacingly. Scarlett was now sure she had never seen it before. It was a foot long, its intricate and alien etchings stood out in the green light from the gate. The blade itself deftly tapered to a narrow point, sharp on both edges. The hilt twisted beautifully, like vines around guideposts. The pommel was capped with a red gem, poorly dulled in the green glow. She wondered why Duke had kept such a lovely thing from her. It was a viscious looking blade, indeed. It somehow reminded Scarlett of times past...

"You think me a dabbler, Hauser," Copperpot sneered, "Your renown won't get you far now! They are coming, and you and your little flock won't live long after," He turned back towards the gate, "you're lucky, you won't be around long enough to regret your mistakes. This time, glory is mine!"

"Fool! You have no idea what you're about to unleash!" Duke snarled and leapt at the Mage. Copperpot managed to deflect Duke's blow with his staff.

Scarlett had never seen Duke move so fast. He darted away from the mage as quickly as he had darted in. Scarlett could see a deep cut in Copperpot's shoulder. Blood seeped from the wound into his tunic. She stepped away from the megalith, raising her crossbow.

"Okay, Dr. Frankenfurter, time to give up," She nodded to Duke, "I've got you covered, Duke."

Copperpot laughed heartily, "Duke. How quaint. A touch of nobility in this modern world!"

"Red, I told you to leave him to me," Duke looked perturbed.

"Everyone needs a helping hand now and then, Duke," She didn't take her eyes off the mage.

"What will you do now, Duke Hauser?" Copperpot grinned, "Does your sprightly Duchess know?" He turned to Scarlett, "Do you give him treats when he does well? Cookies and tummy rubs?" The mage laughed uncontrollably.

"Fuck you, Copperpot, and your worm eaten soul!" Duke went after the mage again with the silver blade. They danced together in battle. Circling, dodging, weaving in and out of each other's defenses. Exchanging blows and giving no quarter. Scarlett couldn't get a clear shot on Copperpot.

A roar thundered out of the gate, booming across the moor with the fury of a thousand released evils. Scarlett watched in horror as a huge form, dark and unrecognizable loomed; as if on the other side of a green glass door. Fingers, almost human, yet topped with cruelly long and sharp black nails, pierced the shimmering field. Scarlett could tell from the way they twisted and gripped that the way was not yet clear.

Then the stench hit her.

She had smelled its like before. Twice, she and her fellow Joes had come across the site of grizzly murders. The corpses they found on those days reeked of days of decay. What Scarlett could smell now was like those rotting corpses, only a hundred times more intense. She turned and retched violently.

Duke was momentarily distracted by her distress. In that second, Copperpot smashed him in the side of the head with his staff, "Get your flea-bitten hide off me, Hauser, and prepare to greet your doom. You and your kind will soon be extinct!" Duke went down hard. Copperpot turned to the gate, "My lord, allow me to finish opening the umbra so the fomor may return to their renewed glory!"

He began to chant incoherently. In his fervor, he had forgotten Scarlett. She managed to straighten up, and looking through the haze of nauseous pain, fired at the mage's back. The quarrel went through his shoulder like a hot knife through butter. With a roar, he turned and went for her, one arm lofting the black staff high to strike her down. Scarlett braced herself for the blow.

Copperpot fell as Duke hit him hard, knife buried to the hilt in his neck. Blood geysered into Duke's face. Still, the mage fought, dragging himself towards the gate, in a desperate effort to finish the incantations that would release twisted, fetid demons onto the earth. Duke dragged him away by the ankles, and climbed atop the shrieking man to finish him off. Scarlett stared, disbelieving, as Duke furiously ripped at Copperpot's body with the silver blade, tearing and rending in berserker fury.

"Well, we may have lost the battle, but I claim the prize!" Scarlett had no time to fight back as Xamot pounced on her from behind. He cold-cocked in the back of the head, and carried her off, leaving Duke to finish his butchery.

Charlie Copperpot was far beyond dead. Duke hefted the ragged body and, with superhuman strength, tossed it towards the green portal and it's partially emerged demon.

"Take this filth and go back!"

Copperpot's blood splattered strangely across the portals surface. His body hung, suspended in the opening, and was then slowly absorbed inside. The green glow disappeared as if Duke had flipped a switch. The thundering and its accompanying stench drifted away. He resheathed his dagger. It had been his father's, long ago.

Duke wiped the gore off his watch and pressed the button to light its face. It was 1:01. Samhein was here. The gate was closed. The world was safe. It was over. Duke wondered if Scarlett had ever come close to knowing the danger she had been in. He turned to help her up, but she was gone.

"Scarlett?" He peered around the megalith she had hidden behind, thinking perhaps she had taken shelter from the odor. She was not there.

"Red? Red, we've closed it Red." He walked to where he could see the rest of his team gathered. Where the circle of COBRA officers had been. "I'm tired, Red. Let's go home."

Gung-Ho looked surprised, "We thought she was with you, man. She went to help you right after she got Destro. That was a nice shot, right in the arm. That woman, she knows what-"

"She wasn't there just now," Duke rubbed the back of his neck.

"Maybe she followed them when they retreated to Serpentor's air barge," Leatherneck suggested hopefully, "You know, to blow them kisses goodbye."

"Air Barge?" Duke had been too wrapped up in the mage; he had missed COBRA'S retreat altogether.

"Yeah. Giant thing. Took them all home, I guess. Cover Girl's taking roll."

"Sit down Duke, I'm sure she'll pop up." Doc began tending to Duke's wounds. Duke slid down a plinth and let Doc get to work. He watched the Joes round up all the COBRA prisoners and corral them next to an abandoned HISS.

Flint came and sat next to Duke, watching Doc as he finished bandaging a bloody weal inflicted by Copperpot's staff.

"As usual, the big guys threw a bunch of regulars at us and got out of town," Flint took of his beret and ran his fingers through sweaty hair, "We captured only flunkies this time. Where's Copperpot?"

Duke sighed, "Rotting in Hell for all I care. He wanted so bad to be with his precious demons, I let them have him. What was left."

Duke heard a throat clear. He looked away from Flint to see Cover Girl standing in front of him. She shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously. "I've taken roll. Everyone's here. Except..." She met Duke's gaze with a sad look, "Except Scarlett."

Duke jumped to his feet. Tomahawks arrived and began to land. They would ferry the Joes to a nearby RAF airfield for transport home. Iceberg stepped up.

"I saw Xamot carry her aboard, sir. I tried to stop him, but I was mobbed. As soon as that barge set down, blue shirts flooded out. I'm sorry, sir."

"Don't call me 'sir', I'll whip your rawhided ass..." Duke growled deep in his throat, "Dammit, I'm going after her."

"After you return to base and report, soldier." Hawk climbed out of a waiting Tomahawk and strode over. "Some pretty weird shit went down tonight. I want you to have a full report ready, after a good night's sleep."

Duke turned away angrily. Flint put his hand on his shoulder, but Duke shook it off.

"Flint, take the men and begin withdrawal from the field." Flint saluted Hawk and motioned the Joes away. The General stood next to Duke and surveyed the rubble, his hands clasped behind his back. "She's a strong one, sergeant. She can last for quite a while on her own."

Duke spat. One by one, Tomahawks began to take off.

"Don't worry. You'll get your chance, Duke. But you need to be rested and healed." Hawk eyed where the glimmering gate had once been, "then you'll be ready to use some of those 'special talents' of yours," Hawk turned and boarded the remaining Tomahawk.

Without a word, Duke followed, eyes blazing.


	7. Chapter 7

THE GUARDIAN  
BY: DIANA M.

Chapter Seven

Scarlett woke, her head pounding, to find herself sprawled on a wooden palette covered with an old thin blanket. From the smell, she guessed the ragged wool had last adorned a very unwashed horse. Above her, lichen clung to an ancient stone ceiling, slick with moisture. There was very little light.

_A dark, dank cell,_ she thought to herself, _how clichéd._

She sat up to get a better look at her surroundings, and a sharp bolt of pain seared through her skull.

"Unnhhhhh." Scarlett rubbed the back of her head. A lump the size of a golf ball stood out from her skull. She fingered it gingerly. It was tender, but at least there was no sign of blood crusting her hair. Xamot had smacked her pretty hard. She was lucky to get away with a concussion and a lumpy head.

Scarlett shivered and rubbed her hands together. The cell lived up to its platitudes by being cold as well. Scarlett's uniform was not designed to protect from this sort of chill, and her gloves had been taken from her; the lines of throwing stars she had sewn to the leather too much of a threat to be ignored. She gathered the thin stinking blanket around her. It did little to fight the cold.

A fresh shock of pain lanced her head. Its sickening ache made Scarlett retch. Her empty stomach gave up little; she had lost her last meal in front of the gate at Stonehenge. Roadblock's fajitas had not tasted as good coming up as they had going down.

Scarlett's vomiting drew the attention of her guards. She heard the harsh scraping as the latch was drawn back at the door of her cell. The door opened, and a harsh ray of light made Scarlett wince. It was soon blocked out by the bulk of a large blue-shirted COBRA viper.

"She's up, sir."

"Well? Whaddya waiting for? The old man said to bring her up as soon as nappy-time was over!" Scarlett recognized the nasal Cockney twang. " 'ere, lemme get her." Ripper pushed his way eagerly past the soldier and moved to grab Scarlett's arm. He giggled happily, "Come with Ripper, sweetie, he'll take good care of ya."

"No chance, nature boy!" Scarlett's foot flashed out from underneath the blanket and her boot caught Ripper in the crotch. Gurgling, he collapsed to the floor and lay there moaning. Uproarious laughter and applause accompanied his writhing.

"Cor! Got him good, she did!" Buzzer stood in the doorway. Scarlett rose to rush past him. She stood too fast for her pounding head, however, and another white-hot pain forced her to sit down. "C'mon, Torch. Help me get her."

"Get those boots of her first," Torch lingered in the doorway, " I'm not letting the little darlin' punt me in the googlies like she did Ripper."

Scarlett struggled wildly when she felt Buzzer grab her and hold her arms down. Her head ached painfully, and the room spun. She couldn't get the leverage to pull herself free.

"Torch! I can't hold her meself!"

"Knock her one on the head then. It worked before."

"She has to go up there awake and everything," Buzzer's arm brushed close across Scarlett's mouth. She took the opportunity and bit deep. "Yeeeeoooowch! She's a biter!" Buzzer had the strength of mind not to let go. So did Scarlett. "Torch! Just grab 'er!"

"All right, but I ain't getting close to her feet, 'n her mouth, neither." Torch ambled in and grabbed Scarlett by the waist. By then, Ripper had regained his composure and came to give his friends a hand.

"Get her off!" Scarlett could taste Buzzer's blood in her mouth; she tightened her grip on his arm. Ripper and Torch tried to pry her jaw open, but she wouldn't give way.

"She ain't harf got a good grip, Buzzer. She's like a bulldog, she is"

"Just get her off me bleedin' arm!"

"Here, Ripper, let's give her a good yank!" Torch and Ripper grabbed Scarlett and gave a sudden sharp tug.

"AAAAARRRRGGHHHHHH! You rotters!" Scarlett and Buzzer's arm were quickly and unceremoniously separated. She noted with some satisfaction that a good chunk of his flesh remained in her mouth. She spat it to the floor. Buzzer grabbed at his arm. Scarlett saw the blood begin to ooze from between his fingers. "You bitch! You cow! You're going to pay for that!" He grabbed a ball gag from the wall and roughly fastened it around her head, "There. A nice little muzzle. That'll hold you 'till you get upstairs. Let's go."

" 'Ang on." Scarlett felt Ripper hurriedly remove her boots, "I ain't taking no chances."

Scarlett was carried feet first out the door by all three Dreadnocks. As they left the dungeon she caught a glimpse of the viper that had opened her cell. He was still standing net to the door, key in hand. The dungeon door swung shut, and she heard him beginning to chortle. At least she'd made someone's day.

They carried Scarlett through a maze of hallways. Rotting tapestries and rusty suits of armor hung from the crumbling stone walls. Cobra Commander always did have a flair for the dramatic. Scarlett thought back to all the fantastic fortresses and medieval castles the Joe team had razed of COBRA forces. It was a wonder there were any old buildings of this size left. There couldn't have been that many to begin with, really. She wondered if the Commander had them built specially.

The Dreadnocks stopped at what looked suspiciously like elevator doors.

"Stop pushing the button, Ripper. It won't make it come any faster."

" 'Ow do you know, Buzzer? 'Ow do you know it don't think there are more of us waitin'?"

The doors slid open, and the Dreadnocks hustled Scarlett inside. "You wouldn't think one Joe would be so much trouble, would you?"

" I don't see why we don't just get rid of 'er. Seems to me the fewer Joes we gotta deal with the better."

"Naw, Torch, this one's too pretty to kill. We should just get rid of the ugly ones. The lady Joes is worf keepin'."

"There's only three of 'em. We'd hafta kill all the others to get to 'em."

"One for each of us, right? And we already got one."

" I likes the redhead."

"We got the redhead."

"Not this one. The other one. The one with the shorter hair."

"Ain't she the one we saw in Cosmo?"

"Shut up, twits, we're at the top." Buzzer waited for the doors to open, then kicked back the security gate with his foot. They hauled Scarlett into a large bright room, filled with COBRA computers and operators. Scarlett could hear the bustle of a communications room. She was carried to a long gleaming table covered with a number of steaming dishes, out of place amid the monitors and communications stations. The Dreadnocks dumped Scarlett into a chair, tied her hands and legs down, and pushed her in.

" 'ere, darlin' lemme get you a plate," Ripper piled a silver platter high with meat and vegetables from the numerous tureens. He placed it in front of Scarlett with aplomb, "You must be starvin', after all that upchuckin'," Scarlett inhaled a heady whiff of rich food and her stomach growled angrily. "Course your tummy could still be a little unhappy."

"Leave her and go. Your conversation is tiresome and your odor ruins the palette," Destro's deep voice purred from across the table.

"Sure, Destro, sir, just let us grab a mouthful of-"

"GO!" All three Dreadnocks rushed to the elevator. Torch managed to swipe a large dripping chunk of roast beef on the way. They grumbled to each other as the elevator doors closed.

"Blimy, 'ees toffed."

"Got kicked in the danglers, and not a word of thanks."

"Bloody shame, that is."

Destro eyed Scarlett and sipped from a glass of red wine. He waved over a nearby viper. "McGregor, please remove her gag. I find it hard to eat looking at that ball in her mouth," Destro daintily cut a strip of beef, scooped some horseradish onto the back of his fork, and lofted the whole conglomeration to his mouth. The viper came around the table and freed Scarlett from the gag. Destro chewed thoroughly and swallowed. "My dear Scarlett O'Hara, how nice to see you once again. I would free your hands and invite you to join me, but I long ago learned never to give you the smallest of freedoms," he smiled over the rim of his wineglass.

"I don't eat with animals like you, Destro."

"Now, now, my dear, let us not fall into the indecencies of bickering, shall we?"

"How long did it take to get the arrowhead out of your arm?"

Destro frowned and rubbed the bandage over his wound, "Yes, the type of tip you are using seems to travel quite far into bone. Never fear, there is no permanent damage done."

"Oh good, I'd hate to think I'd hurt you any way," Scarlett spat facetiously, "You're lucky I missed, I was aiming for your head."

"I think you would have found my mask protects me from all projectiles of many types, dear Scarlett."

"That wasn't the head I was talking about."

"Enough!" Destro slammed his glass down, shattering the stem in his hand. McGregor rushed forward to clean the mess. "I grow weary of this exchange. You will share with me now all the security codes you can recall that would help us into Joe databases."

"I'm not going to just give them to you, you know."

"I am aware of your stubborn reluctance to cooperate. However, I think you know that we have many ways of making you comply." McGregor handed Destro a new glass and filled it from the bottle on the table.

"You could try, but I've already seen most of the Commander's little toys. They're never too hard to ignore. In fact, its usually when old rag face is playing that we get away."

"I would have to agree with you, Scarlett. Unfortunately for you, the Commander is on Snake Island explaining his failure to Serpentor. I'm afraid you must put up with me in his place," Destro stood, both hands resting on the table, and glared at her, "and I don't play his games."

Scarlett jumped at a crackling sound behind her. Destro strode around the table, Scarlett couldn't follow see what he was doing after he passed behind the high back of her chair. He returned carrying two long metal probes with black rubber grips. A wire ran from each probe to the floor and around behind Scarlett.

"I find old fashioned methods so much more reliable, don't you?" a bolt of electricity jumped between the probes, crackling menacingly. "I think it won't be too long before you decide complying is so much more comfortable."

Destro touched one probe to each of Scarlett's hands. Instantly, she felt as if every nerve were on fire. Her body arched, muscles twitching out of control. She could smell ozone burning.

"My dear, you simply can't take too many more of those." Destro whispered in her ear.

"We'll find out, won't we?" she snarled through clenched teeth. The muscles in her arms still twitched feebly.

Destro sighed, "Yes, I suppose we shall have to." He touched her with the probes again, and again.

An hour later, Scarlett hung panting in her bonds. She had held out as long as she could, but it was no use. The pain had been too much. She had mumbled a few codes to an eager Destro. McGregor rushed immediately over to a computer to hack into a Joe line.

"So you see, my dear Scarlett, there are ways to make even you talk."

Scarlett struggled to lift her head. He uniform had become sodden as the electricity had taken away her ability to control her body. She stank from sweat and urine and other things. But still, she refused to let go of her pride. She smiled at Destro.

"It won't do you any good. It's standard procedure to change all the codes whenever a Joe is captured," Scarlett prayed she had held out long enough for the Mainframe and the others to get to the ones she had let slip.

McGregor swore and pounded on his keyboard, "She's right sir, all these codes are dead."

"Damn!" Destro heaved the probes across the room, they clattered against a stone wall. One broke free from its rubber handle and rolled under the table. "Remove her from my sight!" McGregor and another viper untied Scarlett and hauled her to her feet. Destro grabbed her by the chin and gazed fiercely at her, "You may find it a mistake to lose your usefulness to me." Scarlett would have spat at him, has she the saliva left. "Clean her up first. Let it not be said that Destro is without mercy. Besides, I don't want her to ruin my dungeon with her stench ."

"Gee, thanks," Scarlett mumbled as they dragged her to the elevator.

She was taken to a large shower area, she guessed it was for the residing team of troopers. McGregor tore her fouled uniform off her and shoved her under the cold spray. The probes had left her too weak to resist, and she cowered against the tiles, trying to cover herself as McGregor looked on.

"Don't worry, girlie, you smell too much for me right now. Here, use this," he tossed her a rough looking bar of soap. She turned and began to scrub, grateful for this small luxury. The soap felt like sandpaper against her skin, but it felt good to scour off Destro's touch and the mess she had made of herself. She could sense McGregor watching her. He kept his rifle aimed at her the whole time.

When Scarlett was finished, McGregor threw a rough looking robe at her, "Put it on, girlie. Your uniform is too far gone for washing out. This is better than you deserve, but it'll do." She wrapped the robe around herself and tied the belt. The fabric scratched her skin, rough as burlap. McGregor and the other viper grabbed her by the elbows and towed her to the dungeon. She was thrown into her cell, and the door clanged shut behind her.

"Get comfy, girlie. You'll be in there for a long time." McGregor left four vipers to guard, "Be careful. She's weak now, but she'll start feeling her oats soon. She'sa tricky one." He returned to the communications room, leaving Scarlett alone with her guards and her thoughts.

It had been close. Mainframe had to tackle thousands of codes, and Scarlett had been unsure if he could get to them all at once. She was lucky he moved so quickly. Had she broken a half hour sooner, Destro would have had access to all sorts of personell and military files. Scarlett remembered the fiasco the Joes had gotten their families into two years before. She shuddered at the thought of her father and brothers in cells similar to hers. Under COBRA control, unsafe from the whims of Cobra Commander.

She pulled herself onto the palette and sat, her head in her hands. It was cold; she shivered as her wet hair soaked her robe. The blanket was little help. Scarlett felt a tear roll down her cheek.

_Dammit! Don't cry! _she told herself, _Blubbering won't help you now_. But Scarlett couldn't stop herself. The tears began to pour. She pulled her legs up underneath her and huddled against the cold stones, wondering what to do next.


	8. Chapter 8

THE GUARDIAN  
BY: DIANA M.

Chapter Eight

Scarlett opened her eyes. She had somehow managed to fall asleep in the freezing cell, but something had woken her. The room seemed lighter than before; lighter than it should be in the middle of a night, in a room with no windows. Scarlett rolled away from the stone wall and sat up in amazement.

Her cell was literally packed with swarms of fireflies.

Scarlett shook her head. Was she dreaming? How could these thousands of glittering insects have gotten into her cell? The dungeon was underground, in the cellar of Destro's castle fortress. As in all castles built to withstand siege, the nearest window to the outside would be an arrow slit high in a tower or wall. Could the littlebugs have flown all the way down the many twisting hallways and staircases to her cell? Was the castle full?

Scarlett crept to her door and looked through the small barred window. Her four guards sat undisturbed around the room. She could see no fireflies outside, and the vipers were apparently unaware of strange goings on.

Scarlett returned to her palette and gazed at the fireflies flittering all around. She remembered their dance over the playing fields, and her odd conversation with Spirit. Fireflies were bringers of the truth. They took away the dark so you could safely see the way. What way should she be looking for?

"Do not be afraid, little one."

Scarlett jumped up and looked around the cell. There was no one at the door, no one in the corners. It had been a woman's voice Scarlett had heard; her guards were all men, unless the shift had changed. Scarlett went again to her door and glanced out. A viper sneered at her from where he sat, face mask raised so he could east his late dinner. He licked his turkey leg suggestively. The other three vipers laughed.

_Definitely all men. _Scarlett stood back from the door.

"It has been difficult for you, I know. It will all be over soon, I promise."

The voice had come from nowhere. Unless one of the fireflies had decided to strike up a conversation, Scarlett was unable to account for who was talking to her.

_Just wait patiently, he is coming._

The voice was so familiar, so soothing. The lilt and accent relaxing Scarlett with comfort she hadn't felt in years.

"M-mother?" This couldn't be happening. Scarlett felt insane.

_My sweet Shana, you will be safe. Nothing can stop them one they choose to come._

"Mother, where are you?!" Scarlett's voice rang from the cell walls.

"Quiet in there!" The viper didn't even bother getting up to look, "listen to that, night's not even over, and she's calling for mommy," Scarlett's guards chortled again, " We're not finished with you, missy. You'll really want mamma and papa when you see what we've got planned for tomorrow!"

_Shush, darling, they can't hear me._

"Mother, where have you been?" Tears rolled again down Scarlett's cheeks, "All these times I've needed you, and you weren't there." She whispered, hoping not to draw the guard's attention again. Talking to one's self was to be expected in a cell, but the fireflies would be hard to explain.

_I have always been with you, Shana. With you and your brothers and sister. Everything you have done, I have been there._

"You are dead, mother. You were never there."

_Darling girl, love transcends death, and dying is not an end to a soul. I live in you. I am around you. I see you. I have been watching over you, and have made sure you were always safe._

"Sometimes I felt so alone, mother!"

_You were NEVER alone. There was always one there to protect you. They promised me that._

Scarlett was confused. "Who is 'they', mother, what do you mean?"

_Some things are hard to explain to one who lives so much in the modern world. The old beliefs have fallen by the wayside._

"Fairies? You mean fairies, mother?" Now Scarlett felt insane and silly. The voice sighed tiredly.

_You believed me when you were a baby. Then you grew up, and it was a joke to you all, _Scarlett could sense a hint of frustration.

"But mother, we never saw any fairies, and you kept telling us they were there. It seemed stupid. All my friends were embarrassed." Scarlett felt ashamed, "so was I."

_Why must you see something to believe? Can you see me now? Do you believe I'm here with you? _The voice was irritated. Scarlett was taken back to the second grade, when her mother had found out from a teacher that Scarlett had copied a test from a classmate. Her mother had been more annoyed than angry. Scarlett hadn't really needed to copy, and her mother knew it.

"I want to believe," Scarlett looked again at the fireflies, "Yes, I believe."

_Whether you believe now or not, is not important, Shana_. The voice regained a loving lilt_ Before the night is over, you will believe more than ever._

"What do you mean?" Scarlett eyed the door and felt apprehension trickle over her, "What's going to happen?"

_They promised me to always have one looking over you. There was one when you were little, and he watched you as you grew. While you were becoming a woman, he grew old, and his job was eventually passed to another._

Scarlett was swimming in cryptic riddles, "One WHAT mother? A fairy?"

_No, sweetling, fairies never grow old, and they prefer to avoid the iron bindings of men's modern cities. But they have helpers throughout this world. Creatures who have been watching over men for centuries. They are related some of us through blood. They need us to survive, and so care for their kin over all others._

"And one of these has been looking after me."

_The one who watched me also took care to watch you and your brothers and sister. He continued to do so after I died. But he grew old, and could no longer watch after you as well as needed. They are long lived, but cannot go on forever._

"Who are they, mother?"

_They have many names. They live in tribes across the world. When old Caedrach grew tired, he couldn't find any of the Fian to follow you and your career. The few in Atlanta had their hands full with your brothers and Siobhan. Caedrach had to go outside of the family. You were lucky he found one who was always so near to you. It seems to have gone beyond a mere protection duty. Perhaps it will go even farther._

"And that means?"

_As I told you they need us to survive. They cannot mate amongst themselves. They find a human to love._

Scarlett wondered. An inhuman boyfriend? "WHAT are they?"

_You will find out soon. He is coming. Please, Shana, do not be afraid of him. He is, has, and will often be, your only hope._

"He's close to me? Then I know him?" Scarlett thought of all the people she knew. None of them looked particularly inhuman, "Who is he?"

_You are about to find out, dear._ The fireflies' brightness grew tenfold. _I must leave you for a while. He comes._

"Mother!" Scarlett could whisper no more.

"Hey, I told you to shut up in there!" A viper came to the door and peered in the window. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the fireflies, "What the Hell? Hey, Pierre, get the key, you gotta see this one."

"You have got the legs, no? Get it yourself."

"Listen, froggy, I outrank you, don't tell me to-MOTHER OF GOD!" The viper's last words were drowned out by a loud snarl. Scarlett could hear Pierre begin to scream, but couldn't see what was going on; the viper standing in front of the door blocked her view.

"Merde! Merde!" Pierre's screams increased in pitch over the viscous growling, "Mon Dieu! Tuez-le! Tuez-le!"

"What are you waiting for? Shoot it!" Scarlett heard a shot ricochet off the stone wall.

"Fuck, how'd I miss that?! Get it!"

"TUEZ-LE, TUEZ-LE GAROU!" Pierre's cries grew ragged. "TUez-lleeeee," his breath hissed and bubbled out its last.

"OH GOD OH FUCK! Get it off! AHHHHHH!" The viper blocking the window, frozen in shock, apparently was unable to move to help his friends, who sounded to Scarlett as if they were being torn apart. "Teddy! HELP ME! HELP ME PLEASE!" Teddy wasn't budging.

The screams slowly died away, but the snarling remained. Scarlett could tell that whatever it was had turned its attention to Teddy, and was coming closer. The viper, before so cruel, began to shiver uncontrollably.

"No, don't. Please. Get back!" Teddy sobbed and begged. "Oh God, get away from me! Oh please, SOMEONE HELP!" A fetid stench filled the air; the viper's bowels had let go.

The snarling grew louder. "NOOO!" Teddy the viper was slammed hard into Scarlett's cell door. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed like a madman, Scarlett could hear wet flesh tearing. Teddy suddenly went limp, his life torn from him. His corpse slid bonelessly away from the door. The snarling stopped.

Scarlett waited for a few minutes. Nothing more happened. She looked around and was surprised to see the fireflies still hovering in the air. Somehow, she had thought they would be frightened away. She slowly approached the door, and peered out.

The dungeon was a mess of ex-vipers. Blood and gore dripped from shredded flesh into great pools. Scarlett could barely tell which one was which amid the gobs of steaming entrails and viscera. She struggled to look at an angle to see Teddy, and had to jump back from the window. Sitting calmly in the middle of the room was a white wolf.

She stood in the dark for some time, thinking. Was this her savior? She heard a quiet whine, and moved back to the window. The wolf was huge, the size of the small ponies whose backs Scarlett's father would place her when she was a girl. It sat, covered in gore, looking quizzically at her, it's clear blue eyes hauntingly familiar. It whined again, and swished it's tail twice across the cobbled floor.

"Hey, how's about getting a girl out?" Scarlett couldn't believe she was talking to a wolf. Still, stranger things had happened in the past few days. All in all, talking to a fuzzy killing machine didn't seem beyond the borders of reality.

The wolf snorted and stood.

"Thanks. Just bring me that key on the wall." The wolf turned and looked at the keys hanging above the steaming viper meat, but made no move to get them. Perhaps it wasn't as complex as Scarlett had thought, "Good wolf, good boy. Get the key. Bring me the key. C'mon boy. Gooood Wolfie."

The wolf snorted again. Scarlett could swear it had rolled it's eyes at her. "Well, do something! Someone's going to wonder what all the screaming was about." Scarlett pointed a finger through the bars, "There's the key. Fetch it or something."

The wolf sighed and closed its eyes.

"Don't get that way with me! Get me-" Scarlett's words caught in her throat. Before her eyes, the wolf had begun to bulge and stretch. As she looked on, the wolf's muscles shifted underneath it's fur. Its bones and sinews cracked and popped sickeningly. It rose on it's haunches, and it's chest flattened. New muscles filled in along the front and back. It's shoulders filled out, and the toes of it's front paws lengthened and grew into fingers and hands. It's legs lengthened, but the paws remained basically the same. Scarlett had expected the form to shrink into a man; her savior revealed. Halfway through, she realized it was growing. The fur did not recede, but rearranged itself around this new form. The head changed little, only moving to sit atop the new upright neck.

Two minutes later, the wolf stood like a man. It towered above her; fully nine feet tall, covered in knotted muscle and silky white fur. It held its tail proudly behind, its ears stood erect atop its head. Everything about it suggested nobility, and quiet danger.

Scarlett couldn't resist glancing down to where its genitals should be. She was surprised and relieved to see they were covered by a thick mat of white fur. The man-wolf made a sound halfway between a snort and a bark. It, he, stepped towards the door. Scarlett hastily moved back. The light in the window was blocked out by the wolf-thing's huge shaggy bulk. The fingers of its huge hands slipped around the iron bars of the window. Scarlett heard a grunt, and with a single yank, the wolf pulled her cell door right off its hinges.

Scarlett took a few more steps away. The wolf-thing crouched, and swung its shaggy head underneath the lintel. It looked at her, into her, with glowing sapphire eyes. Scarlett backed against the far wall.

"Uhh, Thanks, I can take it from here," The wolf didn't move, "Really. I think I can make it out. Besides, mother said never to talk to strangers, and right now I can't picture anyone stranger than you." The wolf whined placatingly, crouched lower, and held a long-taloned hand out to her.

_Go with him, daughter._

"I don't think so." Scarlett kept her eyes on the wolf's tooth filled maw.

_Shana, he is your Guardian. He is here to rescue you. He could never hurt you. _Her mother's voice was insistent. The wolf whined again.

"You didn't see what it did to those vipers."

_Shana, there is no time to argue. You must go. Your comrades are coming to bomb this fortress shortly. You must get out._

"I'm scared," Scarlett watched several fireflies alight on the wolf's ears and head. He whined a third time.

"Scrrrrrlltttt." the wolf rumbled. Scarlett couldn't tell if it was a word or a growl.

"Scrrrrllltttt," her eyes were drawn to his. She was unable to look away from the glowing pools. They seemed sincere. She felt like she was falling. "Scrrrrrllllttt."

The eyes were so familiar in that alien face. Scarlett reached out, and grabbed the wolf-thing's huge hand. It folded gently around her fingers; completely enveloping her hand. She felt a tingling run down her spine.

_Go now, daughter, the bombers are coming! Quickly!_

The wolf pulled Scarlett out of the cell. She hesitated at the sight of the recent carnage; there was no thick door between her and the congealing puddles of gore. The wolf wasted no time in picking her up effortlessly in his arms, and carrying her over the mess and out the dungeon door. Waiting in the hallway was a unit of COBRA vipers, armed to the teeth.

"WHAT Is ThaT THING?!" a thin viper in the front rank wailed.

"It's got the prisoner. Whatever it is, shoot it!" A viper officer lifted his gun to fire. Scarlett could feel the wolf's answering snarl start deep in his chest. The hallway was brightly lit as a thick plume of fireflies swooshed around from behind the wolf to swarm the vipers.

"AARRGHHG! Killer bugs!" The vipers began to swat madly at the fireflies. The wolf used the distraction to shift Scarlett to his back and begin a rush at the group of vipers crazily waving their arms at the glowing insects. She barely had time to wrap her arms around his thick neck and hang on tight. They were moving quickly towards the confusion.

"You idiots! They're FIREFLIES! They can't do anything!" The officer swatted a viper on the helmet and turned to readdress his prey. He found himself looking right into a mass of fur and chest muscles. He slowly looked up, and felt hot coppery breath on his face. There was a ripping sound, and the officer looked down again to see his stomach spilling from the wolf-thing's claws. He was too surprised to notice the fanged maw that came down and snapped his neck.

Scarlett shuddered. That couldn't have been a good way to go. She hid her face in the wolf's soft mane. He lunged and rushed headlong through the confused and frightened vipers, reaching out to rip and rend any foolish COBRA soldier who managed to stumble in his way. He made it out the other side, and headed for the elevator.

Scarlett kept her face buried. She heard the viper's screams fade as the wolf carried her down the hallway. Then they stopped. She looked over his shoulder at the elevator doors.

"Did you press the button?"

The wolf whuffed in surprise, and twisted his head to regard her with one blue eye.

"It took forever last time, you know." She remembered the Dreadnocks hauling her like a side of beef up to Destro. The wolf rumbled, and looked again at the doors. He plunged his hands into the rubber-lined seam, and pulled them apart. Scarlett hung on as he grabbed a cable and swung into the shaft. She looked up, and could see the car a few floors above them. The wolf began to climb effortlessly. Scarlett hung on and didn't look down.

They soon reached the bottom of the elevator car that had hung above them. The wolf reached up and pounded. The metal floor dented, but did not open. The wolf had to hit it several more times before a tiny tear appeared. He quickly thrust one hand through, and worked the rip wider. Finally, he clung to the cable with his legs and used both hands to rip a hole large enough to climb through. The metal yielded with a tooth rattling itch.

The wolf pulled himself up and into the car. He forced the doors again and simply walked through the security gate. They stepped into a madhouse of confusion. The communications room was a flood of vipers and televipers, rushing back and forth between terminals.

"Joe bombers are less that ten minutes away, sir!"

"Our radars indicate a huge squadron, sir! They're looking to flatten us!"

"Nonsense!" Destro stood in the middle of the confusion, taking in each report, "They would never destroy a fortress that could possibly contain one of their own."

McGregor sidled quietly up to Destro, "My lord," he whispered, "green squad just reported in."

"Hmmmm? They are in charge of internal security, McGregor. Hardly a concern now." Destro waved dismissively.

"The prisoner is missing, my lord."

"WHAT!?"

"Fontaine, Keeny, Chanel, and Jones were torn to shreds, my lord. And the door was torn from it's hinges."

"Where is McCleod? I want his report now!"

"Whatever freed the prisoner got him too, my lord. Green Squad seems to have gone insane. They say it was a giant-"

"AAAAHHHHHH!" the three Dreadnocks had come into the communications room across from Scarlett and the wolf. Uninvolved in the chaos around them, they had noticed the towering lupine right away.

"Bloody 'ell! It's the blooming wolf man!" Buzzer turned and ran back out of the room.

"Christ! I'm out! Lets go, Torch. I didn't sign on for no 'orror movie." Torch and Ripper high-tailed it out the door.

The wolf snarled and headed to a console, tossing a televiper out of the way like a rag doll. The hefted a chair in his massive claws and smashed the keyboard. A ways down, another televiper screamed.

"Joes five minutes away! The wolf just axed our def-AHHHHHH!" Scarlett amazingly still clung on as the wolf rounded the communications room, tossing vipers left and right, and smashing terminals to useless piles of silicon.

Destro turned and calmly headed towards an unmarked door, "McGregor, I would say we are compromised. I am going to my escape tunnel. I would suggest you do the same." The door slid open, and Destro stepped into his own private elevator, which carried him to an underground monorail. The small train sped away from the fortress the speed of a Japanese bullet train, the tracks ending two miles from the fortress at a waiting private airport. Once again, Destro had slipped away from the Joes.

Meanwhile, McGregor was enjoying a less than comfortable fate. The wolf had caught the viper before he could make it to the door through which the Dreadnocks had fled. A massive hand rested on his helmet.

"Do I smell too much for you now, boyo?" Scarlett smiled over the wolf's shoulder at the Viper.

McGregor pulled out a small handgun, and aimed it at Scarlett's face, "Not for much longer, lassie." His eyes narrowed. Before he could pull the trigger, however, the wolf squeezed his helmet. It collapsed with a crunching sound, and McGregor's skull popped like a grape. The corpse thudded to the ground, and the wolf bent to wipe the brains off his hand on the front of McGregor's blue uniform, smearing the COBRA sigil with gore. Scarlett heard the whine of the Joe bombers, almost upon them.

_Run, daughter!_ her mother's voice boomed in its urgency.

"Let's get out of here!"

The wolf swung her into his arms again and bolted for the door the Dreadnocks had used. The outer hallway sloped gently downwards and came out at a dock on the moat. Scarlett could see the sun rising over distant hills. The whine of the bombers was louder than ever. The wolf plunged into the frigid moat and quickly pulled her across to the other side, his teeth clutching the fabric of her robe.

By the time they had reached the bank, the wolf had shifted form once more. He was again the pony-sized creature on four legs. Scarlett sat panting, but there was no time to rest. The wolf shoved his head under her stomach, and somehow managed to flip her onto his back. He galloped into the trees, and Scarlett barely managed to stay on, clinging to its sodden fur. She heard and felt the concussion of the first bombs exploding atop the fortress. The wolf galloped quickly until they were a safe distance, then slowed to a lope.

He continued on to a small clearing in the trees, then stopped and sat. Scarlett slipped off his back and listened to the cacophony of falling bombs and exploding masonry. There wouldn't be much of the fortress left.

The wolf nuzzled her and whined. She smiled and rubbed its neck.

"As Guardians go, I guess you're a pretty good one."

"Sccrrrrrlllttt." The wolf purred as she sunk her hands deep into his mane to scratch his neck. She looked around the clearing, and was only slightly surprised to see uniform lying neatly folded next to a tree stump. "Rrrrrrrrrrrrmmm." The wolf nuzzled her again. Her fingers scratched through his fur, and came upon a chain. She followed the balled links, pulled tight around the wolf's massive neck, till she came to the two tags. She pulled them out, but she knew what would be embossed there before she read the name.

"Thanks, Duke."


End file.
